How To Become A Physical Fitness Trainer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a physical fitness trainer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Matthew Sabin PhD, LAT, ATC, SMTC, CIDN

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a physical fitness trainer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.12 an hour? That's $29,370 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 19% and produce 57,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a physical fitness trainer?

Matthew Sabin PhD, LAT, ATC, SMTC, CIDN

AT Program Director | Professor, Eastern Kentucky University

There are so many different fields within the area of kinesiology that this is often a difficult question to answer. Coming right out of school, I believe content knowledge is important. I think you can maximize your marketability (employers and clients) through strategically pursuing additional certifications/credentials that compliment your education, strengths and desired job setting. If you can balance that with soft-skills, like communication, team building, problem solving and critical thinking, I believe you enhance your marketability.

I think it is also fair to acknowledge that if you plan to pursue an industry that requires you to build a client base, thinking you will graduate and "maximize" your salary may be a misnomer. The goal will be to continue to develop those skills ("hard" and "soft") to maximize your earning overtime. Clients/patients want someone working with them who knows their field and is effective. Employers see that over time or word of mouth and marketing spread the news. That is what leads to your value increasing.

ScorePhysical Fitness TrainerUS Average

Salary

2.3

Avg. Salary $29,370

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.4

Growth rate 19%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.49%

Asian 5.11%

Black or African American 7.05%

Hispanic or Latino 10.64%

Unknown 5.40%

White 71.31%

Gender

female 33.03%

male 66.97%

Age - 36

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 36

Stress level

4.4

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.5

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a physical fitness trainer

Explore physical fitness trainer education requirements

Most common physical fitness trainer degrees

Bachelor's

52.2 %

Associate

19.4 %

High School Diploma

10.4 %

Start to develop specific physical fitness trainer skills

Skills	Percentages
Weight Loss	39.03%
Physical Therapy	19.54%
Physical Fitness	17.55%
Fitness Assessments	12.46%
Fitness Programs	11.43%

Complete relevant physical fitness trainer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New physical fitness trainers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a physical fitness trainer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real physical fitness trainer resumes.

Research physical fitness trainer duties and responsibilities

Provide market research and generate leads using social media (facebook) in order to target prospective clients.
Teach individuals beginning or advance calisthenics, cardio and reducing or corrective exercise.
Incorporate a monthly fit test and BMI calculation to evaluate individual client growth.

Prepare your physical fitness trainer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your physical fitness trainer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a physical fitness trainer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable physical fitness trainer resume templates

Build a professional physical fitness trainer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your physical fitness trainer resume.

Apply for physical fitness trainer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a physical fitness trainer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do physical fitness trainers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Physical fitness trainer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2021

Cons

Early mornings and late evenings - midday naps are often needed. Typically need to work Saturdays. People think that a personal trainer’s time is worthless because they rarely call to cancel… no-shows are always happening and it really sucks for the trainer, especially since it happens so often.